Films: Chinese Take Away

Chinese Take Away

Argentina, 2011, 93 Minute Running Time
Genre/Subjects: Dark Comedy, Family Issues, Romance
Program: Focus on Nation Cinema: Argentina
Language: Spanish English Subtitles

DIRECTOR: Sebastian Borensatein
Producer: Pablo Bossi, Juan Pablo Buscarini, Gerardo Herrero, Mariela Besuievsky, Isabel Garcia Peralta, Benja
Editor: Fernando Pardo
Screenwriter: Sebastian Borensatein
Cinematographer: Rodrigo Pulpeiro
Principal Cast: Ricardo Darin, Huang Sheng Huang, Muriel Santa Ana, Enric Rodriguez, Ivan Romanelli

Sebastián Borensztein directs Chinese Take-Away, a dark cross-cultural comedy that snared awards for best film, actor, and actress at the 2011 Sur Awards. Argentine screen icon Ricardo Darín (The Secret in Their Eyes) is Roberto, a cranky loner with no faith in humanity until he reluctantly befriends a Chinese immigrant searching for his uncle.


Jun (Ignacio Huang) is about to propose to his girlfriend when she’s killed by a cow that falls from the sky. Brokenhearted, he goes to Argentina in search of a new life. Curmudgeonly Roberto’s life is ruled by routine, his days punctuated by counting screws and hurling insults at customers in his hardware store. He’s solitary and unlikable, and he likes it that way, despite the efforts of kindhearted and attractive Mari (Muriel Santa Ana).


Roberto collects newspaper clippings about absurd events that reinforce his belief in life’s insignificance, walling himself off from meaningful relationships. When Jun falls into his life, Roberto brings him home, but he’s clearly not happy about it. Jun mirrors Roberto’s passive ways, trying to please his host, yet remains unfamiliar with Argentina’s customs. Visits to Chinatown, the police, and the Chinese embassy all prove fruitless in reuniting Jun with his family. But, confronted with life’s strange reality, Roberto warms up to the human race.


- REBECCA CARO

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